TUI Forest Mauritius

Mangroves cover only 0.07% of the total area in Mauritius, but they play a major role in terms of food security, fisheries support and income generation. They also contribute to human health, cultural values and well-being. However, due to financial and resource limitations, villages near these forests don’t take part in mangrove conservation or restoration activities, as can be seen in Le Morne, one of the poorest settlements in Mauritius.

TUI Forest in Mauritius create awareness and education on the importance of mangroves whilst focusing on the planting of mangrove trees to reforest the island. The project also creates links with the tourism industry to bring economic benefits for the communities managing the mangrove reforestation.

Apart from fishing, there are few opportunities for employment in the coastal communities of Mauritius. Local residents are often dependent on the marine resources they find on the beach for food and protein. Job creation links to tourism are needed to improve their livelihood and eliminate poverty. Le Morne village is in this situation, despite its location near Mauritius’s largest mangrove forest and in the shadow of the Le Morne Brabant mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Exploring its potential in terms of sustainable agroforestry experiences in tourism is at the core of the TUI Forest Mauritius initiative.

TUI Forest Mauritius plants 20,000 mangroves and endemic tress and establishes dedicated, community-managed nurseries at Le Morne, Coteau Raffin and Vallée d’Osterlog, which grow and supply the forests with mature seedlings.

The forest covers 50,000m² of restored land and habitat, which is protected through erosion control structures, the reforestation of vulnerable areas and the establishment of buffer zones along water bodies.

In total, nine endangered animal species are protected, including the fruit bat and the Mauritius kestrel, a beautiful rust-coloured bird of prey. 50 people are involved in the restoration and conservation activities, which include educational programmes and awareness campaigns to inform the public on the value of mangroves.

Over 1,000 visitors participate in nature-based tourism experiences which are tailor-made for the TUI Forest. These include guided nature walks, birdwatching tours, wildlife photography workshops, and interactive educational sessions about the local ecosystem. 26 jobs are being created and maintained through the project, which include workers and contractors for clearing the land, as well as guides for the tourism experiences.

PROJECT PARTNER

PROJECT PARTNER

Association pour le Développement Durable’s (ADD’s) mission is to promote sustainable socio-economic development and protection of Earth System through related project implementation, studies and awareness-raising. Promoting community well-being and sustainable island living is at the core of ADD’s vision. The organisation’s objectives are to contribute to national, regional, and international policy formulation on sustainable development issues and to promote strategic studies and research in specific areas that have implications for sustainable development including the environment and the economy of the country.

ADD also aims to identify options and address issues relating to sustainable development, maintain partnerships with other NGOs and community-based governmental organisations having similar interest at national, regional, and international levels, and raise awareness of the public and decision-makers on issues related to sustainable development while disseminating information through the media, publications and meetings.

FOLLOW
TRITON!

Turtle1
Your decision – your user experience at tuicarefoundation.com

We use cookies and other technologies that are necessary for services and functions on our website.

In addition, and provided you consent and select "Agree", we and our up to five third-party partners may place cookies on your device, use other technologies and collect and process personal data [e.g. IP address] from you in order to suggest personalized content to you on our website and to carry out measurements and analyses. Data transfer to third countries [e.g. USA] may also be possible, where the EU data protection level may deviate and access by authorities there cannot be ruled out.

You can find more information under "Settings" and decide which cookies and which cookie-based processing of your data you wish to reject or accept. Further information about cookies can be found in the Cookie Notice.

Imprint Privacy Notice Cookie Notice
Decline
Settings
Accept
Managing your cookie settings

Use the "Status" control to decide for yourself which cookies we are allowed to set. Save your settings by clicking the "Agree" button.

You can change these settings at any time. You can find further information about the processing of your data in our Privacy Notice.

Cookies Description Status
Necessary Necessary Cookies are required for the app to function and cannot be switched off in your systems. We need necessary Cookies so that the service you request on our app functions properly and so that you can move around our app and use its functions, such as filling out forms. Cookie Notice
Statistics These Cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our app. They help us answer questions about which pages are most popular, which are least used and how visitors move around the app. If you allow statistical Cookies, we can use this aggregated information to improve our service and the usability of our websites for you. All information collected is aggregated and is therefore anonymous. This information may be transmitted to our partners such as Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Google Ireland Limited, Pinterest Europe Limited, Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited (Privacy Notice) if you also agree under "Marketing". Cookie Notice
I Agree